Jeanne-Irène Biya

Jeanne-Irène Biya
Biya in 1986
First Lady of Cameroon
In office 6 November 1982 – 29 July 1992
President	Paul Biya
Preceded by	Germaine Ahidjo
Succeeded by	Chantal Biya (1994)
Personal details
Born	Jeanne-Irène Atyam Ndoumin (1935-10-12)12 October 1935 Monengombo, Endom commune, Nyong-et-Mfoumou, French Cameroon
Died	29 July 1992(1992-07-29) (aged 56) Yaoundé, Cameroon
Spouse	Paul Biya ​ (m. 1961)​
Children	Franck Biya

Jeanne-Irène Biya (October 12, 1935^[1] – July 29, 1992) was the former First Lady of Cameroon and the first wife of Paul Biya, who has served as the President of Cameroon since 1982.^[2]

Jeanne-Irène Biya died in office in Yaoundé at age 56. She was succeeded by Chantal Biya as first lady of Cameroon in 1994.^[3]

Born Jeanne-Irène Atyam Ndoumin, she married Paul Biya on September 2, 1961, in Antony, Paris.^[4] She studied at the midwifery school in Nantes and, after her return to Cameroon, worked as a qualified midwife in the Pavillon Baudelocque of the Yaoundé Central Hospital. She was socially committed, particularly to children.

Jeanne-Irène Biya died in Yaoundé at the age of 58, when her husband was on a trip in Dakar. Rumors arose in Cameroon that Jeanne-Irène Biya's death had occurred in an unnatural manner, and that he had been out of the country at the time for alibi reasons.^[5][6][3] It is also speculated that the two nuns of Djoum, who had close relations with Jeanne-Irène Biya, were also assassinated.^[7]

She is buried in Mvomeka'a, the birthplace of her husband.

It is speculated that Jeanne-Irène Biya adopted the illegitimate son that Paul Biya had with her sister^[8] or niece when he was four years old.^[6] He was named Franck Emmanuel Olivier Biya, and is considered to be the successor to his authoritarian father.